“Al-Shabriya”… A Sudanese House on Camel Backs
Sudan Events
In a vast pastoral country like Sudan, the camel’s journey may take more than two months, during which they take the best and best means of transportation, which is the back of camels, as it carries them to a country they had only reached with difficulty, which is “Al-Shabriya”, the most luxurious of their homes.
The howdag, or jahfa, is a cultural and aesthetic heritage that is deeply rooted in Sudanese Bedouin history. It is a portable wedding house that is widespread among the tribes inhabiting Kordofan region in western Sudan, especially among camel owners and herders.
It is usually used in their movement and travel north and south, in search of pasture and water and to protect against weather fluctuations.
The researcher in the heritage of the Kordofan region, Mohamed Osman Al-Hallaj, says, “The Abbala, the owners and herders of camels, build the Shabriya, the Howdah, or the Jahfa. All three of them are names for the same name, and because, as they say in the past, the large number of names indicates the greatness of the title, the Shabriyah according to the Abbala is a manifestation of greatness and evidence of commitment to a legacy.” A rich culture.”
The shabriya is made in the form of a dome of thin wood, and its covering is made of woven hair, “shamla” (singularly, shamla) or brightly colored cloth. It is very similar to a mobile home built on the back of a camel, as women and children use it to move around and it is carried on a saddlebag ,the camel’s back.
Perhaps its most distinctive form is the one that the bride carries. In addition to her usual adornments, a bell with a continuous ringing is added to it that distinguishes the bride’s procession and the camel that she is riding, in addition to her belongings and equipment that are placed next to the shabriya, which are leather goods such as qaraf (singular cinnamon) and gerban (singular).
A sock), in which the bride’s belongings are placedFrom perfume, decorative and beauty tools, fashion, and other needs.
